{"product_id":"2026200008392-secondhand-the-debacle","title":"The Debacle","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good. Jacket: Good. Page Condition: Yellowed. Markings: No markings visible. Binding: Intact. No stickers or labels visible. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA gripping masterpiece of naturalist fiction, The Debacle stands as the penultimate novel in Émile Zola's monumental twenty-volume Rougon-Macquart cycle, published in 1892. The novel chronicles the catastrophic Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, centering on two French soldiers — the stoic Jean Macquart and the tormented Maurice Levasseur — whose contrasting temperaments mirror the broader collapse of the French Empire under Napoleon III. With unflinching realism, Zola presents the chaos, suffering, and moral disintegration that accompanied the disastrous Battle of Sedan and the subsequent horrors of the Paris Commune, drawing on meticulous historical research to recreate the carnage with stunning authenticity. The narrative is at once a searing indictment of political hubris and military incompetence, and a deeply human portrait of camaraderie, loyalty, and the will to survive amidst total societal breakdown. This edition, with an introduction by scholar Robert Baldick, presents one of the most powerful anti-war novels ever written to a modern readership.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48956337520859,"sku":"2026200008392-SECONDHAND","price":30.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/058edb65-3f15-4079-8afc-de9be6bc7968.png?v=1783499812","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200008392-secondhand-the-debacle","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}